Welcoming Our New Elders

Most of them live alone, without support from children, relatives, or the government. In Cambodia, there is no state pension, which means that when people grow old and can no longer work, they are left to rely only on themselves. Neighbors sometimes help each other, but this is rarely enough to cover basic needs.

That’s why we decided to support these elders with monthly food baskets. Each basket provides a minimal living allowance so they don’t have to worry about what they will eat tomorrow.

Our beneficiaries range in age from 60 to 93. Among them are also blind women under 60, who cannot earn a living on their own. All of them now have access to regular food support, and we are grateful to be part of their journey.

A shy woman who never married and now lives with her sister. She weaves mats for sale, but each one takes months of work and brings very little income. In her youth, she battled cancer, and when she recovered at 24, society already considered her “too old” to marry.

Mother of ten children, many of whom have passed away or moved far away. Today she lives with her disabled child. During the Khmer Rouge years, like many others, she worked in the rice fields. She recalls how, at times, people had to catch and cook geckos because rice was the only food provided.